Luxurious and authentic old African feel!

This safari focuses on two major areas of wildlife: the wetland paradise of the Okavango Delta and Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, both with high concentrations of big game and excellent bird life. You'll spend two nights at an intimate deluxe tented camp in each area. And while we use the word camp, they are hardly rustic: expect to be pampered beyond your wildest dreams, with luxurious en suite bathrooms, beds with crisp linens, and all the amenities of a fine hotel. Charter flights between the camps maximize your time for game viewing.

Other "Build Your Own" African Adventures
We've selected our favorites of the best wildlife areas and exclusive tented camps and lodges in South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. Choose two or more and create the safari of your dreams!
Botswana: Kalahari Desert Private Adventure
Malawi: Lake Malawi Private Adventure
Mozambique: Bazaruto Archipelago Private Adventure
Namibia: Exploring the Sand Dunes of Sossusvlei Private Adventure
Namibia: Skeleton Coast Private Adventure
South Africa: Cape Town Private Adventure
South Africa: Kruger "Giving Back" Private Adventure
South Africa: Safari Kruger National Park Private Adventure
Zambia: Safari Kafue National Park Private Adventure
Zambia: Walking in Zambia Private Adventure

Combine this trip with other journeys in Africa to create the ultimate dream safari vacation.

Activities

Game viewing by vehicle, nature walks, boat and canoe travel

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Active exploration of the largest inland delta in the world-by foot, mokoro, and 4-wheel-drive vehicle

2010 PRICES
Departures during June 15– November 15
$3,795 per person (2 or more members)
$800 single supplement
$4,595 solo traveler
$400 internal airfare

Departures during November 16 – December 15
$2,495 per person (2 or more members)
$800 single supplement
$3,295 solo traveler
$400 internal airfare

Duration: 5 days Start Location: Maun End Location: Maun Best time to go: January - February, May - December

Itinerary

• Day 1 : Maun - Okavango Delta

  From Maun, fly by charter aircraft into the heart of the celebrated Okavango Delta, where one of Africa’s great rivers fans out into the sands of the Kalahari. Transfer to your deluxe tented camp for an unforgettable two-night stay. Accommodations in the Okavango are at one of several deluxe tented camps. Each features large and roomy tents with en suite bathroom facilities, often with private outdoor showers. We’ll set you up in the camp that is most ideal for your group size and for the time of year you’ll be there.

• Day 2 : Okavango Delta

  The Okavango, a great inland marsh similar to Florida's Everglades, is one of the most pristine and unique wilderness areas of Africa. Here the Okavango River spreads out through a sea of grass. Reeds and papyrus filter out the sediments of the Angola floods, leaving crystal clear waters to flow through channels covered with water lilies. Bird life is fantastic: the magnificent fish-eagle is a common sight, as are a wide variety of storks, herons, ibises, and other water birds, including pygmy geese, African darter, African jacana, and malachite kingfishers. Larger wildlife is interesting, too: lechwe stamp through the grassy shallows while sitatunga take shelter in the reeds (both are types of antelopes); hippos and crocs glide through sparkling waters.

   

  To explore the Delta, we board eco-friendly fiberglass dugout canoes, modeled on the traditional African wooden canoes called mekoro (we don't have to cut down a huge old tree to make them), and paddle into its maze of meandering waterways. (Mokoro is the singular form, mekoro, the plural.) It's a unique way to travel-expert boatmen pole us through narrow channels that cut through mats of floating papyrus, then paddle us across lovely deep-water lagoons. We enjoy fishing as well as wildlife viewing, and we explore the larger Delta islands on foot-an opportunity to stalk lechwe, sitatunga, or the rare and beautiful fishing owl.

• 

  Days 3 - 4 : Linyanti Private Game Reserve

  Transfer to the airstrip and take a charter flight to the Linyanti Private Game Reserve, to the northeast of the Okavango Delta. Transfer to your deluxe tented camp, searching for wildlife along the way. Accommodations are in one of several camps of the same caliber as the camps in the Okavango.

   

  This area is rich in game-there are excellent hippo pools, plenty of elephant, sable and roan antelope, and it's great lion country. This is elephant country par excellence; it's possible to see large congregations coming down to the river to drink and bathe, and it's great fun to watch their social interactions.

   

  Other wildlife is abundant here, too, either along the Savuti Marsh or in the wooded hills behind: lion, leopard, kudu, sable, and roan antelope are all resident species. We'll search for reclusive predators such as the African wildcat, civet, and the beautiful long-legged serval cat. Another specialty is the beautifully marked Chobe bushbuck. Bird life on the Linyanti marsh is always spectacular: storks catch thermal currents, herons, egrets, waterfowl, hornbills, kingfishers, and lilac-breasted rollers are always in abundance; seasonally, we can find colonies of gaily-colored white-fronted and carmine bee-eaters. Here we are outside Chobe National Park, so we will have the area all to ourselves. In addition to superb game viewing aboard our safari vehicle, we may be able to go on game drives at night in search of nocturnal animals. Lions and leopards are most active at night, so we will have a good chance to observe the big cats on the prowl (water levels permitting). 

• Day 5 : Depart

  Transfer to the airstrip and depart on charter flight back to Maun.

Properties shown are representative of the accommodations we use on this trip, may not be inclusive of all accommodations we use, and are subject to change.

Expert leadership is the key to an exciting, unforgettable experience. Our trips feature gifted leaders for whom leading trips is a true vocation. Besides showing you wonders you’d never find on your own, they make sure everything runs smoothly and safely without a hitch. They are knowledgeable about all aspects of your trip, and take great pleasure in sharing their insights with you. More than just guides, they positively elevate your experience by being teachers, companions, and the best of friends. You’ll be in good hands with them every step of the way.

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